


All That Remains

by taengyong



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Historical Inaccuracy, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Intrigue, M/M, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, My First Work in This Fandom, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Plot, Slow Burn, Spies, Violence, Work In Progress, idk how to tag help pls, when required
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:01:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29508702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taengyong/pseuds/taengyong
Summary: "There was something disgustingly heavy in the air. The way the heat swarmed around Jungwoo’s neck, nipping at his skin. The air felt thick, like tar that was filling his lungs and making it harder and harder to breathe and only exacerbating the lump in his throat. He shouldn’t be here, Jungwoo knew this, but he had no choice. It should be simple, nothing out of the ordinary. The son of a vassal visiting the palace was nothing new. But Jungwoo wasn’t merely visiting, if he was his only fear would be proper court etiquette, no. Jungwoo had been sent to the palace not by his family as a show of good faith, but as a bargaining chip."aka i recently readSpoilt Royalsbystarhoneyyand now i have a hyperfixation on writing a luwoo historical drama set in ~700 CE China, I'm so sorry.
Relationships: Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 9
Kudos: 18





	1. Nowhere

  
There was something disgustingly heavy in the air. The way the heat swarmed around Jungwoo’s neck, nipping at his skin. The air felt thick, like tar that was filling his lungs and making it harder and harder to breathe and only exacerbating the lump in his throat. He shouldn’t be here, Jungwoo knew this, but he had no choice. It should be simple, nothing out of the ordinary. The son of a vassal visiting the palace was nothing new. But Jungwoo wasn’t merely visiting, if he was his only fear would be proper court etiquette, no. Jungwoo had been sent to the palace not by his family as a show of good faith, but as a bargaining chip. 

Whether it be from the rattling motion of the carriage or the bubbling knot tied firmly in Jungwoo’s stomach, Jungwoo could hardly keep his eyes open nor his breathing steady. It took all of his composure to balance himself and wipe the pooling sweat from his brow. It wasn’t simple, it was treason. Jungwoo was committing treason. He was committing treason and with each passing second his family was in even greater jeopardy.

Tracing the hem of his sleeves was the only shallow comfort Jungwoo could find as his destination loomed ever closer. Running his fingers against the cerulean silk reminded him of home, of his family, and the tangible warmth forming behind his ears and spreading throughout his chest only grew with the memories of looking over the coast, the scent of the sea being carried by a cool breeze. It was a tearful departure, neither Jungwoo nor his family wanted to say goodbye but they both knew there was no choice in the matter, it had to be done. _I’ll be back soon!_ Jungwoo had tried to sound as convincing as possible as he called back to his family. He thought it was to comfort them but as he finds himself repeating the words over and over, Jungwoo realises maybe it was himself he was trying to convince.

*

With a strong glare of sunlight Jungwoo was suddenly snapped back into reality. The coachman, standing at a now open carriage door, gestured for Jungwoo to enter into the lion’s den at last “Master Jungwoo, we have arrived.” With a smile and a soft _thank you_ , Jungwoo took his first step into the Wong Kingdom. _There’s no going back now._

Taking in his surroundings Jungwoo was in awe, his home wasn’t exactly...humble, but the palace was something else entirely. The palace was surrounded by a lotus pond so large that it seemed to stretch into the horizon and a paifang so tall that it seemingly touched the sky. Perhaps worst of all was the mountain of stairs leading to the palace proper, Jungwoo could feel his legs screaming just at the sight of them and suddenly felt incredibly guilty that some poor servant would have to carry his belongings up them. And then there was the palace, Jungwoo had never seen something so gaudy or grand in his life. 

_Jungwoo, there’s no turning back now._ Each footstep seemed heavier than the last and with each nervous quiver of his heart Jungwoo imagined all the different ways he could end up dead. Jungwoo’s eyes shot up to the guards standing stern at the colossal palace doors, did they know? Could they sense the ulterior motive behind Jungwoo’s arrival? Would the courteous bow and gentle smile be enough to wave suspicion? For both Jungwoo and his families sake it had better be.

Jungwoo couldn’t help but second guess every step he took on the stone tiles of the courtyard. The fear of something, everything going horribly wrong was violently pumping through his veins but at the same time, this palace was beautiful. Beautiful in ways Jungwoo couldn’t even begin to describe. If this was to be his home for the foreseeable future, at least he would get to reval in this sight every day. As Jungwoo took his first step into the palace he couldn’t help but cringe at the way his footstep reverberated off the wooden floors and throughout the halls.

The entryway of the palace was practically empty minus some miscellaneous decor which made the sudden greeting aimed at Jungwoo all the more startling. “Oh good afternoon! I...don’t believe I have seen you around, my name is Master Kun and you are?” The voice came from a man slightly shorter than Jungwoo with a disarmingly charming smile. Kun was well dressed, his clothing looked about as expensive as Jungwoo’s own, he clearly wasn’t a servant, another vassal perhaps?

“Oh, hello. Umm, my name is J-Jungwoo, Kim Jungwoo,” as Jungwoo stuttered out the words, he could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. “I’ve been sent here as a vassal of the Kim family.” _Keep calm Jungwoo._

Kun’s smile seemed to grow twice as wide at that, “ah yes! We were told you were coming! Well Jungwoo, it’s a pleasure to meet you, I trust you’ve had a safe journey? You’re a long way from home.” Kun linked his arm with Jungwoo’s as he spoke and began leading him down a large hallway, the walls were lined with some of the most wonderful art Jungwoo had ever seen and he was suddenly finding it very hard to keep his focus.

“Oh well, it wa-” Jungwoo began a little distracted but Kun cut him off, seemingly far too excited to wait for his answer.

“Excellent, well you’ve arrived at a most fortuitous time; the royal family are all currently having tea - you simply must introduce yourself, you know good impressions and all that.” Kun stopped just as rapidly as he had started, gesturing to the door beside him.

A soft chatter could be heard from behind the door. All of a sudden Jungwoo blood turned to ice. He knew he would have to meet with the royal family eventually but not so _soon._ All at once Jungwoo was hyper-aware of just how not ready he was to be doing this. “Oh, b-but I-,” Jungwoo began to protest but what could he say? _Oh, I was hoping to settle in before I began committing high treason._ No, any argument would be useless, and Kun seemed nice enough Jungwoo didn’t want to ruin the first chance on making a friend here he had. “Umm, should I knock?” Kun’s smile seen to grow even wider if that was possible and after a brief knock he swung the door open and pushed Jungwoo inside.

*

Jungwoo debated running, or hiding, or just about anything rather than being there, in that room, at that time. Kun was right, the royal family certainly were having tea, and a pleasant conversation by the sound of it, but they weren’t anymore. No, instead five sets of eyes were set firmly on Jungwoo, inspecting every aspect of him. Jungwoo dropped down into a bow with such panicked ferocity that he almost hit his head and for a brief moment Jungwoo really wished he had, wish he just hit his head and knocked himself out, or maybe even just died, that would probably have been better, certainly less embarrassing. “Um, Hello Your Majesties, my name is Kim Jungwoo, the only son of the Kim family...I-I was sent here as a vassal, please take care of me.”

When Jungwoo finally dared to peek up from the floor he got his first real look at the royal family. Sat closest to Jungwoo was a young woman, likely the princess, Meiqi, she was incredibly beautiful, probably the prettiest girl he had ever seen which up until now Jungwoo had always considered his sister. Everything about her looked so effortless in that _I spent hours getting ready way_ , the way she was looking at Jungwoo was bemused certainly, but not unkind.

At the head of the table sat the Emperor and Empress. Somehow they looked even more regal than the art that Jungwoo had seen so many times, their expression varied from confused to concerned but thankfully, not angered.

Sat next to the Emperor was a man Jungwoo immediately recognised as Sicheng, the Crown Prince of the kingdom. He was slender but not in a way that made him seem weak, despite his quiet disposition he seemed poised and intentional in every movement he made, the way he tilted his head slightly, the way his eyes _glimmered_ , the way the corners of his lips twitched into the faintest hint of a smile, it all somehow made Jungwoo feel so at ease despite everything happening around him. It was clear good looks were a family trait, and Sicheng was easily the second most attractive man in the room.

Second, only to the younger man sat next to him. Next to him, was the living embodiment of tall, dark, and handsome. The youngest child, Prince Wong Yukhei. Even sitting down it was clear that he was large...tall, _broad_. He also had perhaps the fullest lips that Jungwoo had ever seen, with a cupid’s bow so devilishly curved it took all of the will Jungwoo could muster to look away and when he did, he saw those eyes. Prince Yukhei’s eyes were large and so incredibly dark, so much so that they would have been the kind of eyes that you could fall into, that is, if they weren’t looking at Jungwoo with more disdain than seems possible for a stranger.

“Ah! Master Jungwoo we weren’t expecting you so soon!” It was the Empress, who broke the silence. “Please, take a seat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this legitimately feels like the first thing i have written in about 5 years so please if you have any feedback let me know!!  
> and thank you to my friends for being thrown in to my beta jail and being forced to read this <33


	2. A Moment's Peace

  
Jungwoo never really understood the purpose of sayings like _‘silence can be deafening’_ until about thirty seconds ago when he was ushered to his seat and had to endure a silence so loud it was violently screaming while punching him in the face. Awkward was an understatement, discomfort was putting it mildly; it was safe to say Jungwoo wasn’t making an _excellent_ first impression.

Jungwoo wasn’t particularly outgoing, likely because for most of his life he wasn’t actually able to go out, he had been a sickly child, bedridden for most of his youth and while this had allowed much time for him to study...almost anything, it didn’t exactly foster the development of his social skills. Consequently, Jungwoo was never particularly comfortable talking to _new people_ , let alone _groups of new people_ , and especially not _groups of new and very important people_. And so, Jungwoo was sat there, tea in hand, mind reminiscent somewhat of a bucket with its contents poured out...empty, vacant, hollow.

To make matters worse the youngest prince, Yukhei, was sat directly opposite looking both unbelievably handsome and unbelievably annoyed in equal measure. Jungwoo wasn’t sure what, exactly, he had done to earn the prince's ire so quickly though, he supposed it wasn’t entirely unearned. Jungwoo had quite literally just burst into, what he could only assume, was one of the few moments the royal family were able to spend together without all the pretence of their positions; and even if not, the truth of why Jungwoo was here would certainly be more than enough to earn a look like that.

It was the Crown Prince, Sicheng who finally broke the silence “Master Jungwoo, we look forward to you making a home for yourself here.” Jungwoo couldn’t help but feel comforted by his words, the way the Crown Prince spoke reminded Jungwoo of cotton, soft and comfortable. Something in the way his eyes seemed to shine at Jungwoo as he spoke managed to coax a breath Jungwoo didn’t know he was holding.

Even so, Jungwoo still felt his heart clench with every word he said; after all, it would only take one misspoken syllable to bring everything crashing down. “Ah, me too Your Majesty, the palace is…beautiful beyond words. I’ve never seen anything like it.” 

“Your family home is on the coast, no? I’m sure it is beautiful too, will you miss it terribly?” It was Princess Meiqi who spoke this time, the words seeming to flow so elegantly from her lips.

“I don’t get the chance to often travel, I’m sure I will get homesick but I’m excited to experience living somewhere new!”

“I’m sure you’ll find yourself thinking of the palace as home in no time.” The crown prince said with a gentle smile that made Jungwoo very aware of the heat rising to his cheeks.

“Master Jungwoo,” Jungwoo felt his pulse hammering in his throat the moment the Empress addressed him. “Seeing as Yukhei and yourself are of a similar age, maybe accompanying him for a while would help you settle into your new life here?” The Empress spoke with a tone that alluded to the ulterior motive veiled behind her words, even if Jungwoo was unable to pick up on it.

“No. I don’t think that will be necessary.” It was sharp, the way Prince Yukhei spoke and Jungwoo felt the cut to his words as well as the fire in his eyes all aimed directly at him.

“I-I don’t want to impose”

“Nonsense! I think it’s a great idea. Yukhei _you will_ help the young master settle in.” Something in the way the Emperor emphasised the worlds almost made Jungwoo shudder even though they were targeted at Prince Yukhei.

There was a moment of hesitation before Prince Yukhei resigned to defeat. “Fine.” You couldn’t argue with an Emperor, even if that Emperor was your father. After a barely audible “if you’ll excuse me,” Prince Yukhei stormed from the tearoom. 

Despite having all the emotional control of a toddler there was something Jungwoo found undeniably captivating about the prince. Jungwoo’s eyes followed him out of the room and part of him wished he could go too.

*

After the tea, a servant had been summoned to direct Jungwoo to his residence in the palace grounds. It was a pleasant stroll away from the main halls, close enough that it would be easy for Jungwoo to find his way without getting lost but far enough that Jungwoo would be able to find some manner of privacy and respite. Best of all, the path to Jungwoo’s residence lead straight through the imperial garden. With every new step Jungwoo wondered if it was a crime, and if so how big of a crime would it be, to take some cuttings during the night and propagate them for his own collection. He was already committing treason, would some horticultural theft really be so bad? Ultimately, and with a heavy heart, Jungwoo decided against it. He could just befriend the head gardener - it wasn’t worth the risk. 

When Jungwoo arrived at his residence, his belongings having beaten him there, he dismissed the servant with a soft _thank you_ and a _no, no I’m truly fine_ and shut the door to the outside world. For the first time since he left his home Jungwoo felt like he could finally breathe and take a moment’s respite. He was here, he was alive, and, most importantly, so were his family. Jungwoo pressed his forehead against the cold wood of the residence’s entryway and for the briefest of moments felt at peace.

It was with a curt cough behind him that Jungwoo was snapped from his reverie. Jumping out of his skin, Jungwoo sharply turned to face the source of the sound. The cough belonged to a man a few inches shorter than Jungwoo, with shallow cheeks and dark eyes. The man had a distinct energy about him, though Jungwoo couldn’t quite place it. 

The man's clothing was immediately recognisable as something of high quality. The stitching was impeccable and Jungwoo knew the dark maroon dyes used on the silk cost more than some would ever see in their lifetimes, that’s why they were reserved for use only by the Wong family. The shade wasn’t that used by the royal family themselves however, a cousin perhaps? 

The fair-skinned man took a step closer, closing the distance between them. “Kim Jungwoo. You’ve arrived sooner than expected.” The ghost of a smile tugging at his lips.

“I-I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met before?” Jungwoo stuttered the words out, clearly taken off-guard.

At this, the man visibly smiled but only for the briefest of moments. “Not personally, no. My name is Kunhang, I simply came to introduce myself.” the man offered an almost imperceivable bow before locking eyes with Jungwoo once more. “I believe we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other in the coming days Jungwoo, take care.” The man slipped out before Jungwoo had a chance to respond, his farewell lacking any of the well wishes it implied.

*

Jungwoo lay awake for most of the night, his mind spiralling with recent events. Someone had it out for the royal family, that much was clear, but in these times of feudal lordship, almost anyone could stand to gain something by being a part of these schemes. Whoever the conspirators were, they were plotting _something_ and like it or not Jungwoo was now a part of that. 

His parents had done their best to shield their youngest from the truth but Jungwoo wasn’t blind. For years, the Kim family had been struggling to keep their heads above water. Almost two decades ago a wave of disease had washed over the kingdom, the same illness that almost took Jungwoo’s life in his youth, the Kim territories had been hit particularly hard and the death and famine that followed was a lasting scar on the land. In the aftermath, the Kim family had struggled to meet the demands of their station and indebting themselves to the neighbouring nobility seemed the only way to protect the people but a debt should always be repaid and Jungwoo, was the payment.

The neighbouring territories had been pressuring the Kim family for months, demanding money they did not have, and eventually, the threats escalated. A choice was presented but Jungwoo knew he had no real agency in the matter. Infiltrate the palace and uncover the secrets of the royal family or watch as his family were thrown into a war they could not win. No, Jungwoo would do anything to save his family but did that mean committing treason? Was there truly no other way?

*

Jungwoo isn’t sure when he finally fell asleep, just that he was awoken by the violent rapping on his door and a familiarly deep voice telling him that he better wake up this moment or else Jungwoo himself be used for target practice. The fleeting moment of shock and panic was quickly replaced with annoyance when Jungwoo realised it was Prince Yukhei waking him up so rudely at the crack of dawn. Jungwoo felt the twist of _something_ in his stomach at the thought of spending the day with Prince Yukhei but quickly pushed the feeling aside when he remembered that so far the prince had been anything but pleasant to be around.

Jungwoo took his time combing his sable coloured hair into a neat ponytail and even longer slipping on the elements of his open-fronted robe, relishing in how soft the cornflower coloured material felt against his worn body. He knew it was improper etiquette to keep a prince waiting but something in the way Prince Yukhei acted fired up an air of spite in himself that Jungwoo had previously been unaware of. There was something unbelievably frustrating in the way the man had acted so far and Jungwoo no idea why it bothered him as much as it did. 

It couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes that Jungwoo had kept the prince waiting and yet, when Jungwoo finally emerged from his residence, he found the prince leaning against a wall looking just as about as exasperated as if he had been waiting for Jungwoo an entire millennium. The prince looked at Jungwoo just long enough for Jungwoo to catch the sharp intake of breath before he swiftly snapped his head away. “Why are you dressed like that?”

“Like what?” Jungwoo eyed Prince Yukhei up and down brazenly, Prince Yukhei was wearing a simple straight robe in the royal family's signature red, he certainly wasn’t dressed any better or worse than Jungwoo was.

“Like, like you’re trying to look pretty or something. I don’t know...how are you going to swing a sword in that?” The prince avoided eye-contact as he spoke, kicking his feet in Jungwoo’s direction to highlight the free-flowing mid-length skirt of his own robes in comparison to the heavier, floor-length robes Jungwoo was wearing. 

Jungwoo's mouth formed a slight ‘o’ before he processed Prince Yukhei’s words. “Swing a sword?”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it took me a little longer than i would have liked for this update to be out, i've been really busy with uni work and exams lately  
> i'm not sure if anyone actually reads these or not but i was going back and forth on whether this should have been one chapter or two, if it were two chapters the cut would have been after yukhei leaves the tearoom. would you prefer shorter chapters that would be posted more frequently or waiting a little longer for a longer chapter? let me know if you actually have a preference ^^  
> once again thank you to my friends for being the residents of my beta jail


	3. Tongue Tied

Whoever would have guessed impractical fashion choices would be Jungwoo’s saving grace? He certainly hadn’t considered the possibility when getting dressed out of spite this morning but now, lounging from his spot on the grass, Jungwoo was definitely thankful to his past self for having the perfect excuse to avoid morning practice.

You see, Jungwoo had never been the physical type - he always considered himself more of an academic; whether that was a symptom of or a fortunate coincidence alongside his failing health as a boy, Jungwoo couldn’t say. But, the fact remained that while the other boys in the kingdom were learning the basics of poise and technique when wielding a weapon, Jungwoo was growing flowers and pondering the ethics of current trade laws. It goes without saying that Jungwoo was more than a little relieved to discover he had accidentally provided himself with the perfect excuse to avoid embarrassing himself entirely by flailing about the training grounds, and especially in the presence of Prince Yukhei.

Everything about the prince was so _impressive_. That was the only word Jungwoo could muster up to describe him, impressive. He was very good with a sword...or at least Jungwoo assumed he was. Jungwoo couldn’t exactly say what “good with a sword” looked like but something in the way in which Prince Yukhei’s movements were so fluid and confident certainly gave that impression. In this environment, the prince looked so self-assured, every manoeuvre seeming so natural and effortless. Something in the way Prince Yukhei carefully studied each small motion of his sparring partner, brows creasing in concentration, gave the impression of a far more mature and patient young man than the brash and bratty one Jungwoo had known up until now.

It would be disingenuous however to imply that Jungwoo was merely observing the prince's sword technique. No, what was of far greater interest was the prince himself. Watching him train, allowed Jungwoo to really take in Prince Yukhei’s full appearance and once again the only word in Jungwoo’s mind was impressive. Prince Yukhei wasn’t that much taller than Jungwoo, maybe an inch at most, but his presence made him seem so much larger. His shoulders were broad and strong, much unlike Jungwoo’s narrow, slender frame. The thin material of the prince’s clothes did nothing to hide the taut muscles underneath and the way his chest heaved with each breath only served to make it harder for Jungwoo to look away. Jungwoo dared to, only for the briefest of moments, feast on the sight of a bead of sweat tracing its way along the golden tan skin heading directly towards Prince Yukhei’s jawline, perhaps the sharpest jaw Jungwoo had ever seen. Perhaps worst of all, however, and things that kept dragging Jungwoo’s attention back to the prince, were those hands. Prince Yukhei had sizable hands and lengthy fingers that so easily seemed to prompt the most impure thoughts Jungwoo had ever had. Jungwoo hadn’t realised how dry his mouth had become until he was finally able to pull his eyes away. Once again, to Jungwoo, Prince Yukhei certainly was impressive.

Compared to the prince, Jungwoo was a wisp of a man. Despite his height, Jungwoo didn’t seem to tower over others the way Prince Yukhei did. Jungwoo’s body was considerably lither than that of the prince, something that had always aided Jungwoo in avoiding attention and ensuring he didn’t take up more space than needed. Even his skin didn’t glisten in the sun the way Prince Yukhei’s did. Everything about him was just _softer_. Soft and unassuming had always been two words Jungwoo had no issue applying to himself. In the little attention Jungwoo had received, he had become used to comparisons of rabbits and flowers. Prince Yukhei is the type you would compare to much grander things, lions and heroes of lore, that was the kind of imagery he invoked and, for perhaps the first time, Jungwoo began to doubt himself when placed next to the man that was consuming so many of his current thoughts.

*

Prince Yukhei’s training seemed to drag on for far too long yet somehow not quite long enough for Jungwoo’s liking. A part of him longed to see more of the prince, even in spite of his attitude and behaviour there was something pulling him towards the man. A pull that seemed to dissipate the very second he opened his mouth. “Well, my mother has insisted you accompany me until you settle in. I am going to bathe, wait for me in my chambers.”

Jungwoo could almost hear the disdain dripping from his words. The prince was making no efforts to disguise his feelings towards Jungwoo and with every second spent in the presence of Prince Yukhei’s foul attitude, Jungwoo was finding it all the more difficult to contain his own. The one thing holding him back was Jungwoo’s active effort of avoiding death and so instead Jungwoo swallowed something in his throat, probably his pride, and gave a curt nod.

Prince Yukhei wasn’t satisfied with this response and with a huff of breath, wiping some of the pooling sweat from his brow he continued. “Or you can come and watch if you prefer? You seemed to be enjoying yourself earlier,” With this, something changed in the prince. There was a visible glimmer of _something_ behind his eyes and Jungwoo was caught completely of guard by his sudden change in demeanour and the challenging smirk the prince was now wearing.

Jungwoo felt a heat rapidly rising to his cheeks and his anger rasing just as quickly. “Thank you for the offer but you must be confused. The only thing I feel towards you is sick, Your Majesty.”

At this Prince Yukhei openly laughed, a loud boisterous laugh aimed right at Jungwoo. With a swift step closer the prince closed the distance between them and Jungwoo could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing in attention as Prince Yukhei’s low voice spoke directly into his ear. “Your eyes and lips are saying two very different things...I’ll see you in my chambers Jungwoo.”

Prince Yukhei snickered as he sauntered off towards the imperial baths. Leaving Jungwoo in his wake to deal with the rushing assault of countless conflicting emotions. At this point, Jungwoo’s face was red hot, his cheeks and ears probably shining like a beacon for the entire court to see. Jungwoo was completely stunned, both by the gall of the prince and the fact that Jungwoo didn’t entirely hate being on the receiving end of it.

*

Eclectic is the nice word for how Jungwoo would describe the youngest prince’s chambers. A complete and utter pigsty being the honest way of phrasing it. It appeared the prince had refused to allow servants entry to his chambers, the result of which being instantly apparent. An absurd amount of papers littered the room, every surface was covered by something, and yesterdays clothing were strewn carelessly upon the floor. Instinctively Jungwoo almost reached out to begin organising Prince Yukhei’s chaos before stopping and reminding himself that _no, Prince Yukhei is a grown man he is capable of cleaning up after himself. Even if he wasn’t, he literally has a whole palace worth of servants to clean up after him._

As Jungwoo pulled away from the piles of clutter he felt as his throat began to tighten against the rapping of his pulse, instantly the realisation began sinking in. Jungwoo was in the prince’s bed-chamber. Jungwoo was in the prince’s bed-chamber _alone_. Who knows what kind of secrets the prince kept locked away in here? There’s no telling how long the prince could be or if Jungwoo would ever get an opportunity like this again, surely he had to take it? The lives of his family depended on information that could be sitting right in front of him. But then again, despite being sent to the palace as a part of some grand treasonous scheme, Jungwoo was yet to have actually committed any crime. In fact, if anything Jungwoo was an innocent victim in all this and his innocence would be lost the moment he invaded the prince’s privacy.

Conflicting fear began to overwhelm Jungwoo, the fear losing of failing his family and the fear of losing himself. A cool tension made its way up Jungwoo’s spine and his thoughts clashed with themselves in such a violent manner that Jungwoo’s temples began to throb in pain. His hand seemed to reach out on its own accord, ghosting across the pages on Prince Yukhei’s desk but never daring to turn the page over and see what hidden truths they might hold. Jungwoo found himself begging for a sign or a nudge or anything to take his agency from him and make the decision in his stead. Jungwoo wasn’t a particularly spiritual man but when he heard heavy footsteps approaching he thought the gods must have been listening. 

The fleeting moment of calm and relief Jungwoo felt was almost instantaneously replaced with annoyance when Prince Yukhei burst through the chamber doors with a grin like a Cheshire cat and all the usual bravado Jungwoo had come to expect. “Ah, Jungwoo I see you’re capable of listening to orders after all.” The prince had bathed since Jungwoo had seen him last. The edges of his hair still clinging damp to his face, his skin no longer coated with a sheen of sweat, Jungwoo isn’t sure why he felt a twisting in his stomach at the thought.

“Yes and I’m capable of manners also, it’s Master Jungwoo, Your Majesty.” Jungwoo made no effort to disguise the tone of his voice, something that seemed to only encourage Prince Yukhei further.

“Oh come on, we’re practically the same age - why the need for the formalities?” Every word was laced with an unfathomable amount of cockiness. It was unclear whether the prince was like this with every one of if Jungwoo was a special case.

“For one, you’re a prince…” Jungwoo couldn’t help himself and swiftly added a ‘ _not like you act like it,_ ’ under his breath. “And second of all, we’re not friends.”

The corner of Prince Yukhei’s mouth seemed to twitch just the slightest bit at that, so subtle anyone unlike Jungwoo who was capable of prying their gaze away from the prince’s lips for even just one second would have missed it. “No, but we’re going to be spending an awful lot of time together so we should at least be comfortable.” With a melodramatic sigh Prince Yukhei threw himself down onto his bed. “Now, go fetch me some tea.”

Jungwoo was unable to restrain himself, scoffing at the audacity of the prince. “I’m not a servant.”

“No, but I am a prince.” The prince said with a wink. Jungwoo swore Prince Yukhei’s cackling could be heard all the way in the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter hasn't been beta-read - it was taking longer than i would have liked to get the chapter out and not all of my beta's will be able to read for another week or so so I've just decided to publish the chapter as is and i'll go back and edit when i have the feedback
> 
> i hope you all really enjoy this chapter~ 
> 
> i'll be honest this one was more difficult for me to get out. on the same day, i received the news that i would finally be able to completely move on from an abusive living situation i was in last year - obviously, this is really great news and i was so happy to receive it but on the same day i got the news that, although not a relative by blood, someone who has always been family to me has fallen incredibly sick and will be starting chemotherapy. it was really difficult for me to ground myself enough to write for a good couple of days so i hope this is cohesive and good and everything
> 
> also, on the 20th of this month, i have a law exam. i hate law, i didn't want to take it and i'm not very good at it. i'm going to have to focus a lot on studying so the next two or so chapters might be on a wonky schedule or a little shorter than previous ones, i hope that's okay~


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